The Fire Games
by Invader Tia
Summary: What happens when a Free-Thinker, a convict, and a power-obsessed ex-invader become pawns in the Tallests' Games? Love, blood, and regret. Rated T for swearing, blood, and sexual content.
1. Reaping Day

**Author's Note: This is an idea I had long ago, when I first started reading The Hunger Games and I had created Free-Thinkers. I'm altering the rules in the book so it matches my plan and Invader Zim. **

**What are Free-Thinkers? They are a group of Irkens who have rebelled against the standard Tallest laws and, the original ones, were exiled to the old Palace. This was back before the Irken Massive was built. Now, Free-Thinkers are a strong organization who worship Almighty Tallest Miyuki, who was the only kind Irken towards them. They consider themselves an entirely different race from Irkens for their lack of PAKs and their hatred of the Tallest. **

**I have to say this every time, because there is always one dolt-head who can't read or takes his or her bad day out on me via reviews, but please don't flame. This is simply an idea.**

**Lez is not a lesbian, and when I named her, I originally didn't think about it. I was just piecing random letters together and Lez stuck with the Irken I had made more than any of the others. Just wanted to get that across, since there will be some sickos that will read this and comment on her name. **

**Invader Zim is not mine. Jig is not mine(he's my best friend's character, technically). Lez and the Free-Thinkers are mine. **

===THE FIRE GAMES===

She stared at her reflection for nearly half an hour. It was so sad, how beautiful this dress was and yet it was going to be wasted on a horrible day.

As with every Reaping, terror had filled her the moment she woke this morning. This Reaping more than any other before. She prayed to Miyuki that no one she knew would be picked.

"Lez! It's time to go, sweetie!" her mother called. The blue-eyed Free-Thinker sighed to regain her posture.

"Coming, Mom!" she cried back, her voice cracked, as she stole one last glance at the mirror and left her room. Her parents, Meekoo and Caro, were in the main living area, waiting for their only daughter. Meekoo was in an elegant floor-length red-and-black dress, and Caro wore his best suit. They were much too old to be Reaped, but every Free-Thinker was forced to attend, unless he or she was severely ill, and treat the Fire Games like a celebration.

They left, not saying a word but exchanging worried, nervous glances. As they joined the growing crowd, Lez had to leave her parents' side and merge in with the other females. She looked around for her friends, Emi and Mit, and stood next to them. She searched the male mob, found Yuko, and tried to give him a reassuring smile as he caught sight of her staring at him.

The crowd was surrounding the kiosk in the Council Room, where all the Chairmen gathered for meetings. It was also the jury room, and on Reaping Day, the stage where the eleven tributes were picked and presented to the Tallest.

Highest Chairman Dorr, a tall Irken with greenish-blue eyes, cleared his throat as the remaining Free-Thinkers assumed their places in the mob of green skin and multiple-colored eyes below him.

"Welcome, Free-Thinkers, to the ninety-seventh annual Reaping Day!" he said in the most cheery voice he could muster, which was actually a bit monotone. As Dorr went into the customary summary of Free-Thinker history, Lez looked at her best friends.

Emi was a little younger than Lez, but almost two inches taller than her, with the lightest lavender eyes Lez had ever seen and triangular-twirled antennae. Mit was the youngest Free-Thinker this year to be in the Reaping, as it was her first year. Her bright pink eyes and heart-shaped antennae fit her sweet-as-sugar personality perfectly. Yuko was Mit's brother, a little older than Emi, and he had the most stunning green eyes ever seen on an Irken, as well as extremely pale skin.

Most of them did, because the air was so polluted on Irk that they couldn't go outside for more than half an hour without breaking down into a severe coughing fit. At least, it seemed, the air over them was.

"...And so, we have the Fire Games!" Dorr finished. Lez's head snapped up. She did that every year- blank out during the speech. "Without further ado," Dorr said as two huge glass bowls, one with pink slips and the other with blue, were placed on a pedastal behind him, "we will now choose the eleven tributes!"

Lez's throat tightened as he reached into the bowl with the blue slips, begging Miyuki in her head that Yuko wouldn't be picked. When the last of the six boys were Reaped, all three girls sighed in relief that Yuko wasn't standing on that stage. Dorr plunged his hand into the pink papers, and Lez felt a heaviness in her chest.

The four girls called stood in a line next to the boys, chins up and eyes brimming with tears of fear. Dorr read the name on the last slip. "Mitricia."

Mit froze, her pink eyes wide and her antennae flat. That was her full name. Swallowing her scream of horror back, Lez panted as she watched Mit walk the path between the boys and the girls silently, feeling faint.

When their mother died, Yuko took in Mit and Lez helped raise her as her own, even though they were still just kids. Only Lez was allowed to sing Mit lullabies when she couldn't sleep; only Lez could make her cuts and scrapes feel better with that magical kiss; only Lez was allowed to call her Mitten.

All those memories flooded Lez's head as Mit continued to walk slowly up to the stage. Just as the young Free-Thinker's toe touched the first step, something in Lez's head snapped.

"WAIT!" she screamed. Lez pushed out of the crowd and ran down the pathway. "MIT! WAIT!" Mit turned around, but a couple guards pushed the girl onward. A few others tried to restrain Lez. "No! NO! I VOLUNTEER!" Lez screeched, hysterical.

Even though she couldn't see them, Lez knew her parents' faces were flooded with terror. She didn't care. Lez would give anything to protect Mit, anything...

"I volunteer for tribute!" she announced, calmer, as the guards backed away. She heard many whispering in the background, and because of her intense hearing abilities, Lez made out almost every word said.

"Volunteer?"

"Is she crazy?"

"Nobody volunteers!"

Dorr simple stared at her in shock. The last time a Free-Thinker volunteered was when he was very young. After a moment, it sunk in that this was a very special Free-Thinker. He gave the guards an order to remove Mit from the stage and escort Lez into the line of ten other tributes.

"Ladies and gentleman, our tributes!" Dorr announced, gesturing to the eleven Free-Thinkers. Lez was the only girl who wasn't crying, because she knew that if she did this, Mit would be safe for one more year. She tried to not look at her parents and friends, terrified that the looks on their faces would make her break down.

Each tribute was sent to a seperate room and given one hour to say their goodbyes. All five of Lez's loved ones took their turns. Emi broke down completely and sobbed into Lez's shoulder. Yuko said almost nothing but hugged Lez tightly. Mit wouldn't let go of Lez, thinking that if she held on for life Lez couldn't go.

Caro's goodbye was probably the hardest. He embraced Lez and, like Mit, refused to loosen his grip until Lez asked him to give her room to breathe. "I love you, Lez," he mumbled softly.

"I love you, too, Daddy," Lez sobbed.

Meekoo was the last one to say goodbye. Lez couldn't speak by now, so she just cried into her mother's dress. Meekoo, her own tears streaming down her cheeks, sang to Lez to calm her down.

"Are... Are you mad at me? For volunteering?" Lez asked brokenly after she could catch her breath again.

"Mad? Honey why would I be mad?" Meekoo chuckled grimly. "I would've done the same thing if I were in your place." She pecked her daughter's head.

"Don't let go yet," Lez begged. "I wanna remember this for a long time."

"I know you do, baby." Meekoo reached into her pocket and pulled out a locket. She handed it to Lez. "I've had this since you were a newborn. Keep it. You need it more than me," the older Free-Thinker said. Lez, still in her mother's lap, clicked the silver locket open. Inside, she could see a tiny hologram picture of Meekoo, Caro, and a blue-eyed smeet, all smiling and laughing. Lez closed it and gripped it tightly in a fist.

"Excuse us. The hour's up," a guard said.

"Bye, Momma," Lez sniffled, getting up. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Lez," Meekoo said as she left.

Lez sighed and wiped away her tears. She had to be strong for the cameras. "Are you ready to go?" one guard asked. The Free-Thinker girl looked at the locket in her palm before slipping it around her neck.

"Yes," she said in the strongest, calmest voice she could find. And she stepped out of the room, ready to take on the blood bath she was doomed to be a part of.

===THE FIRE GAMES===

**Crappy, I know. Lez is just a softer, kinder, happier version of me. Won't give you too many spoilers, but Lez will be in a romantic relationship by the end of this. **

**I know this is pretty much a parody of the book, but the next chapter will be different, I swear. Or maybe I shouldn't swear... **

**Anyway, review, please! I live on it! **


	2. The Convicts

**Author's Note: Now we introduce the second main character of this particular story, Jig! He is my best friend's character, but we often use each other's characters when writing or drawing. Keep in mind that we made it so Jig and Lez are the same age, and Tallest Purple is Jig's older brother(by paternal DNA only). Hey, I also believe that Tallest Red and Zim are cousins by their mother's side, and Purple and Red are twins. **

**Okay, enough with the genetics! **

**I don't own Invader Zim or Jig. I do own Lez, though. **

**No flaming, or I'll hunt you down and strangle you in your sleep. **

===THE FIRE GAMES===

There was silence in the jail block, like every night. No one spoke a word, dared to moan or groan, or hardly breathed. While exhaustion took over most of the prisoners, one was wide awake. He stared off into the darkness, thinking as always.

His mind drifted off into his memories. Every night, in the blackness in front of him, his life previous of jail played out, clear as night sky.

Always, the image of his girlfriend was more prominent than everything else, except perhaps what got him here in the first place. Jig still had that medallion. He refused to return it, keeping it as a reminder of what once was and a token of his courage. Although, most would call it stupidity.

The defective leaned forward, feeling the necklace dangling off his chest. He closed his violet eyes, as if to sleep. His first sights played behind his eyelids- the smeet facility, the cold technology he so hated, the first time he saw Kri.

Jig still felt weak in his spooch when he thought of her, when he thought of how the Tallest promised him she would be safe, and when he thought of how he reacted when she died. He still cried sometimes when the memory was too much. He fingered the gear-shaped medallion absentmindedly, his mind somewhere far away.

He was brought back by the sound of marching. He tapped his toes to the beat, recognizing it as the guards.

The sound of the electronic door opening his cell made Jig open his eyes and glance boredly at the Irken clade in the uniform Jig once wore.

"Let's go," the guard said in the same cold tone all the others used. Jig stepped up and his wrists were shackled to a laser chain. Ten others were chained along with him. Too tired and depressed to fight with them, Jig followed the escorts through the halls of the prison and up to the surface of Irk.

They were boarded onto a ship, which took off in the direction of Conventia.

"You have been chosen by the Almighty Tallest to be the convict team in this year's Fire Games," the Lieutenant briefed. Some Irkens began to chatter with others, and others looked terror-stricken. Jig was the only one who didn't care. He knew he was going to die, anyway. Everything did eventually.

"Silence!" Everyone quieted.

Conventia wasn't that far away. A day or two's travel, at the most. Jig decided to take this time to think of revenge. Revenge for himself, but mostly revenge for Kri.

He thought he heard her voice for a moment, but when he focused on it, he realized it was just another convict whispering to herself. Another one lost, he thought to himself. Jig glanced over to his right, and he saw two guards murmuring to each other and looking at him strangely. He glared at them for a quick moment and they returned to their positions.

Jig smirked inwardly. Sometimes being only three inches shorter than the Tallest had its advantages, like getting people to listen to him or respect him more than the other convicts.

After not sleeping for five days, Jig was starting to lose his attitude. His pride wouldn't let that happen. Giving in to his exhaustion, Jig leaned back on his chair and dozed off. As usual, nothing appeared in his dreams except Kri and the medallion.

Somehow, Jig had a feeling that would change soon.

===THE FIRE GAMES===

**Short. Damn. **

**So, you get Jiggy's background. Sort of. It'll be explained later, trust me. I won't leave you guys hanging for long. **

**Yeah, Jig's extremely tall. And Lez is about a foot and a half shorter than him. Poor Zimmy, he's the shortest of the characters I'll be working with! **

**Oh, I'll be working with more than just OCs. Dib and Gaz will make an appearance, as well as the Tallest(obviously) and some of the invaders in the show(Skoodge, Tenn, Tak, etc.). Don't worry. It is OC-driven, though. Fo sho. **

**Review, please! My life and love depend on it!**


	3. Vengeant Plans

**Author's Note: DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN! Chapter 1 through 3 in one night? Yep! This is what happens when I'm inspired and on a roll. Plus, I wanna get to this one scene I made up while listening to Taylor Swift's song for the new Hunger Games movie(WATCHING IT ON THE PREMIER!). **

**This one is Zim's point of view now. He's hard to keep in character, because I have to tap into my inner asshole(not literally, you pervs!). I'll do my best!**

**Don't flame. It's not good for your health. **

**I don't own Invader Zim or Jig. I own Lez and the Free-Thinkers, who will not make an appearance in this chapter. **

**ENJOYZ!**

===THE FIRE GAMES===

_"Congratulations, Zim! You're a tribute for this year's Fire Games!" _

_Zim stared, stunned. Only exiles, convicts, and Free-Thinkers were in the Fire Games. "What?" _

_The Tallest looked at each other and laughed. "You actually thought we had sent you on a 'secret mission'?" the crimson-eyed one snickered, wiping a tear from his eye. Zim's shoulders drooped. _

_"I... wasn't?" he murmured, wide-eyed and shocked. _

_"No! You were sent to whatever mudball you're on so we could get rid of you, you gullible defective!" Purple chortled. That word stung more than anything else. Defective. _

_"And to think, we considered giving you another chance!" Red snorted. "Seeing as that last plan was actually kind of good. Until it failed, like everything else you do." He scoffed. "No, we decided to put you out of your misery finally." _

_"Yeah, since you ruined the trial," Purple murmured under his breath, just loud enough for Zim to hear. _

_"See you in a week, Zim!" Red smirked evilly. The transmission cut, leaving Zim alone and in a type of pain he'd never felt before. _

The memory re-ran in Zim's mind as he sat in the Voot.

His base had been deactivated, Gir had been destroyed, and his pride had been ripped from him. The short Irken had nothing left, nothing but memories and anguish and a little plastic toy piggie he snagged from Gir's stash before he was locked out of his base forever. He didn't even have the opportunity to prepare himself to leave, because within three hours a Tallest-issued Voot came.

Zim looked out the window, watching the stars pass by in a blur. In a week he'd be in an arena with thirty-two other Irkens, fighting for his life. Not like that wasn't what he did most of his life anyway, but this time there was a purpose for it- the basic instinct to surivive.

As he sat, thinking and rubbing the toy piggie's rubbery ears between his fingers, anger welled up in Zim. How dare the Tallest disrespect the amazing Zim by forcing him to die? Well, he'd show them that Zim wasn't a failure. He would win this year's Games, and rub it in their faces for years to come. Never again would the Tallest doubt Zim's superiority over all the other invaders.

This time, his plan could not fail. He would win, not only the Fire Games, but the respect of the entire empire and then some.

It seemed that Zim had only been off dreaming for a few minutes when his Voot approached the convention planet. Smirking, Zim ported and was greeted at the teleporter by three guards.

"Are you tribute Zim?" one asked. Zim puffed out his chest, trying to be proud of his impending death.

"Of course! I AM ZIM!" he shouted.

"Follow us," another guard droned. Zim strutted off, one guard in front and the other two behind him. He was dropped off at his suite and warned to not leave under any circumstance.

It was actually a very nice room. A couch and a large screen for viewing the results of various pre-Fire Games activities, like the interviews and rating competition. A large glass door gave a perfect view of Conventia, and it opened to a decent-sized balcony. At least here the air isn't so putrid, Zim thought as he stepped out and looked out into the streets below him.

He thought of his plan, going over it again and again in his mind, making sure every loophole was covered by another strategy.

Victory would be Zim's, at last.

===THE FIRE GAMES===

**Another short one. Oh well. It gets the point across. I think I write too fast-paced. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm writing at two in the morning. **

**Anyway, I'm horrible at Zim. I cannot stay in character, no matter what I do! I always feel like I'm writing a male me when I write Zim! Ugh!**

**Review, please, even though this one isn't my best. **


	4. The Training Dome

**Author's Note: Chapter 4 at two-thirty in the morning. Go figure. I haven't been awake all that long, either, so it's not like I'm tired or anything. Just sick of sitting on my ass. I need to walk. **

**Disclaimer, blah blah blah. I don't own Zim or Jig, but Lez is mine. **

**No flaming. I kill you. **

===THE FIRE GAMES===

The training dome. Huge and well-lit, the entire room must have been at least several hundred feet in diameter. The floor was black and made of some kind of rubbery substance, and marked off in red circular patterns were at least a dozen areas, each teaching a different use for survival.

The thirty-three Irkens were released and allowed to go to whichever station they wanted. Immediately, Lez was attracted to the archery sets. She had a sling-shot, but she doubted that would be readily available in the arena.

Zim also seemed to be interested in the bows. He picked one up and examined it cautiously. He'd seen these used many times on Earth, but he didn't know they'd be used here. He glanced over at the icy-eyed Free-Thinker, who was choosing a smaller, lighter bow. She also picked up a sheath of arrows and slid a bolt into the shaft. Zim copied her as well as he could.

The instructor walked over and grinned at the girl. "Hello! Have you used one of these before?" She shook her head slowly, mezmorized by the bow and arrow. "Why don't you take a shot? You already seem to know how to hold it."

She whipped around and faced the target. Taking the same stance as she did when she used a sling-shot, Lez fired the arrow. It hit the bullseye dead-on.

Zim's imaginary eyebrows shot up. The instructor clapped. "You're sure you haven't used an archery set before?" he asked.

"Well, I have a sling-shot. Just in case," Lez said sheepishly, blushing.

"I've never heard of a sling-shot being used as a bow and arrow, but if it works for you stick with it!" The instructor gave Lez a reassuring smile, which was returned with a nervous one.

"I... I-I think I'll go check out the... ropes..." Lez murmured, setting the bow aside. She started to run off, when she knocked right into a tall Irken. They both fell down.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Lez apologized immediately, getting to her feet. "Did I hurt you? I'm such a clutz!" The boy looked up, ready to tell her off, but he froze midword when he met her eyes. Lez held out her hand. "Here; lemme help you up," she offered. The boy took her hand without averting his eyes away from hers and she pulled him onto his feet.

"I'm Lez. What's your name?" Lez asked. The boy blinked a few times.

"I'm, uh... um..." he said quietly, forgetting his own name for a moment. "Uh, J-jig!" he said after shaking his head to try and clear it of the fog that had clouded his mind.

It was no use. She was just too... beautiful. From her shining ice-colored eyes to her M-shaped antennae to her perfect figure. Even the touch of her hand was soft and lovely, and her voice was sweet and small like a delicate glass bell.

"Nice to meet you, Jig. Hope to see you around!" Lez smiled. She let go of his hand and ran off to the rope-tying station. Jig simply stared off after her, his chest lighter than air and his legs numb. He felt like he was made of helium, and he could just float off into space and time.

Jig was taken out of his reverie by the snapping of fingers in his face. "Stop drooling!" a very short Irken, probably Zim from what Jig had heard, barked. The taller Irken glowered down at the ruby-eyed ex-invader and stormed off, annoyed by his sudden loss of thought.

A few hours later, Jig found himself at the hand-to-knife combat station. A few girls had surrounded the area as two boys showed off what they knew on the battle dummies. He saw that Lez was among the girls, her face showing her uncertainty about fighting. For a moment, Jig wanted to impress Lez with his fighting skills, but judging by the look on her face, he thought against it. There had to be something he could do, though.

Walking up to her, he tapped her shoulder lightly. Lez, as well as a couple other girls, turned around. The other females giggled once they saw how tall Jig was. "Um, is it Lez?" he asked. The girl nodded. "Wanna go... away from here?"

Some of the females chattered quietly among each other as Lez accepted, blushing. They passed by the fighting areas and ended up in a corner by the edible plants. "So, you wanted to talk to me?" Lez asked.

Jig shrugged. "Not really."

"Then what did you want?"

Jig swallowed loudly. He hadn't thought of that. "Well, not talk _to_ you. I kinda wanted to talk _with_ you."

Lez smiled. "About what?"

"Anything, I guess." Jig felt his face heat up as he spoke, digging himself a deeper hole with every word.

"HEY LEZ!" a voice from behind them called. Lez turned around and gasped.

"Mags? What are you doing here? You weren't Reaped!" she exclaimed. The Free-Thinker trotted up to the pair.

"No, but I got permission to be the head chef!" she squealed. Lez hugged the girl, going on about how wonderful it was.

Jig cleared his throat, wondering if the had forgotten he was there. "Oh. Sorry. Mags, this is Jig," Lez introduced. "Jig, this is Mags. She's an old friend of mine."

"Nice to meet ya, Jig," Mags said. She leaned over to Lez and harshly whispered, "He's cute!" Lez and Jig both flushed a violet color. "I gotta go, unless I want them to catch me," Mags said, hugging Lez and running off.

"What was, uh...?" Jig started.

"It's... not important anymore," Lez sighed. Jig grunted sympathetically.

The next day, Lez again went to the archery set first. This time, Jig, Zim, and a few others were there, too. Everyone's jaws dropped when she hit four bullseyes in a row straight away. Murmurs rippled through the tributes.

Lez knew what that meant. She was now a main target in the arena. She tried not to shudder at the thought of dying the moment the glass lifted.

No matter how much she and Jig tried to stay on task, they kept running into each other. It was almost like the universe was trying to get them together for something.

Even though she was an avid believer in fate, Lez thought that was silly. As if, she told herself at the end of the day.

===THE FIRE GAMES===

**And now you know who Lez and Jig are going to end being paired with. I can't give spoilers, so I won't tell you if they both survive or not! MWUAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm evil. **

**Sigh. My eyes are hurting. But I must type out the next chapter while I have it in my head! But I'm going cross-eyed and my ears are numb from listening to the same song over and over again! ACK!**

**Review or be eaten by my pomeranain. **


	5. Impressing Lez

**Author's Note: Okay, I've had six hours of sleep, two glasses of blue Kool-Aid, a shower, and a bathroom break, and I am ready to write Chapter 5! **

**What's this? You don't believe me? Well, the proof is right here! **

**Romance, blood, and Jordin Sparks for the fucking win, man! **

**If you flame I'll send Jiggy after you with a crowbar! **

**I only own Lez! If I owned Invader Zim it'd still be on and there would be a full-length movie out in theaters.**

===THE FIRE GAMES===

It was standard that the over thirty tributes were given four to five days to train before going into the rating competition. Although there was heavy security around the dome, sometimes a stray tribute would find a way out and go exploring.

Jig could go wherever he wanted, because with his height he could intimidate any guard. And it was this freedom that gave Jig the one thing he needed- a way to impress the light blue-eyed Free-Thinker he so desperately wanted.

On the fourth day of training, Jig watched Lez as she practiced her archery. She was now on the moving targets, those little plastic discs that were thrown into the air for you to shoot. Jig counted as the discs flew through the air and Lez shot them down. One, two, three, four, five... Lez got to eleven before she missed.

She then faced Jig behind her, and he blushed as he looked away. Lez gave him a smile and walked over to the instructor, whispering something to him that Jig couldn't quite make out. She put the bow down and Jig straightened up as she came over to him.

"Uh, hi," he said, trying to sound casual.

"Hi," Lez returned. "Um, why were you staring at me?"

"Was I staring at you? I wasn't staring at you. I was staring in the general direction of you!" Jig said quickly. Lez raised an imaginary eyebrow and smirked.

"So why were you staring at me?" she repeated.

Jig swallowed back his nervousness. "I, um... wanted to show you something," he said, his hand finding its way up to his neck and scratching the back of it. "Uh, follow me." He turned and walked to the door, Lez on his heels.

"Halt!" the guards barked. Jig crossed his arms and glowered at them. They looked up at him, glanced at each other, and stepped to the side. They stopped Lez from following him, but only for a moment.

"She's with me," Jig told one guard. He gave Jig a questioning look, but let Lez through anyway.

"I love being tall sometimes," Jig smirked once they were down the hall. Lez giggled.

"What'dya wanna show me?" she asked. Jig grabbed her hand and took a left. They ran in an elevator and Jig pressed the top button.

"You'll see," he said, smiling. Lez looked at him, returning the smile.

A ding brought them back to reality. The elevator door opened to a hallway. Jig pointed at one door down by the end. "Here," he said, striding to the end of the hall. He punched a number into the key-lock and waited for the click the signaled it was unlocked.

The door opened automatically, and Lez gasped in delight at the sight.

Inside was a model of the Irken-known universe. The walls were pitch black and dotted with stars, and in the empty space between them were holograms of various planets and nebulas that were pastel colored. A few comets whizzed around occasionally, going in and out of walls and circling Lez's head. She reached out her hand through a pink and purple cloud of holographic star dust, and it surprised her that it left a chilled feeling on her skin. She gazed in awe at everything, all the things she couldn't see on Irk because of the pollution.

She had never seen anything so enchanting in her life.

Her eyes fell on the model of Conventia, and she giggled softly. On the side was a red arrow, and red lettering. "You are here," she read, shaking her head. "No, you're over there." Lez turned her head to face Jig, who was standing at the doorway still. "I'd like it if you were here, though," she murmured, more to herself than to Jig.

Still, Jig went over to her, the door closing behind him. "I thought you might like it," he muttered.

"I love it," Lez responded, gazing around again. She returned her attention to Jig. "It's beautiful. I can't believe anything Tallest-owned would be so... gorgeous." Her eyes were locked with his again, and Jig wasn't sure if she was talking about the room, or something else.

The sound of the door opening snapped them out of their world. "That's where you went!" Mags' voice reached Jig's antennae. "I see you're with Jig again." The two flushed violet.

"I-i-it's not like that, Mags," Lez defended, stepping away from Jig. They hadn't realized they were closing in on each other until now.

"Well, training's over. C'mon, it's chow time!"

Lez sighed as she and Jig followed the scarlet-eyed Free-Thinker to the dining hall.

===THE FIRE GAMES===

**Hahaha! Another perfectly shmaltzy, romantic scene ruined by Lez's friend! Yes, the main focus of this is Jig and Lez if you haven't noticed by now. Zim will come in again soon, don't worry. **

**Trying to drown out the race my parents are watching with lovey-dovey music, so I'm kinda going to be prone to writing people softer than they really are. **

**Review or 2012 will happen. **


	6. The Rating Competition

**Author's Note: My God, I'm having so much fun writing this! Obviously. Six chapters in two days? And on one review?**

**Love me or hate me. Don't care either way. **

**Don't flame unless you wanna be trapped in my horror-filled mind. **

**If I owned Zim, then why aren't Jig and Lez main characters?**

===THE FIRE GAMES===

They sat in the hallway in a line outside the Rating Room, waiting for the Tallest to stop taking their sweet time and get ready for them to show their skills. To keep herself from freaking out, Lez hummed random songs to herself. She, Jig, and Zim were last in line.

The Rating Competition was the day that the tributes would show off what they learned and the Tallest would give them a number between one and fourteen. The higher your number, the more skilled you were. Which meant you were a bigger threat. Each tribute was given ten minutes to give the best performance they could, then they were allowed to go wherever until after dinner, at which time they had to watch the program and find out what their number was.

At last, it was Zim's turn. The guard opened the door and Zim, proud as ever, stepped in. A balcony hung over a small circular room. The floor was covered in pink and green tiles, and the walls were made of tempered steel and varnished somehow. The balcony where the Tallest sat was covered in red, green, and pink curtains and wall decor. Bored and dull-looking, the Tallest munched on nachos and doughnuts.

Zim cleared his throat to show he was present. Red looked down. "Oh. It's Zim, Pur," he said, propping his feet up on the balcony wall. Purple pressed a button, and ten dummies suddenly sprung up from the tiles. Zim strode over to the weapon rack and grabbed the laser gun.

Spinning it around his finger by the trigger, Zim stood in the middle of the circle of ten crash-test dummies. He shot each one at least three times in a matter of a minute and a half. By the time he was done, every dummy was missing one or more limbs. A smug look on his face, Zim watched as the dummies diappeared. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and flashed a glare behind him.

He fired a shot at the balcony, just hitting the barrier. It was enough to startle Purple, though, and his nachos flew in the air. Zim caught a chip and smirked before eating it and strutting out.

Jig went in this time. He didn't cough or make any sign he was there. He just went to the weapons and grabbed a sword. The he just stood there.

Purple pressed the button again, noticing Jig finally. The dummies sprung up in a circle like before, and Jig was still for a moment, waiting for both Tallest to watch him.

After three minutes of being ignored, Jig's blood began to boil. He growled and gripped the sword in his hands tightly. "Look at me, Irkdammit!" he snarled at last. The curse got their attention.

Finally in the spotlight, Jig glanced at the dummies and started slashing at them, taking his anger out on the rubber people. He took them out, one at a time, imagining them as the people in his life that hurt him the most.

His rage spent with the last dummy, Jig threw the sword on the ground and whipped around on his heels, fuming. He left without a sound.

There was an extra two minute period as the room had to be cleaned of the dummy parts. Lez, the last of the tributes, strode in. The Tallest were so bored by now that they didn't even hear her try to grab their attention. Red rummaged through his doughnut bag, and Purple nibbled on a plate of curly fries.

Thinking maybe it was just a test, Lez went ahead and got a bow and sheath of arrows. "Hello?" she asked timidly, standing back in the middle of the room.

Like Jig, she was ignored for almost five minutes. Anger welled up inside her. Nobody ignored her and got away with it, nobody.

So, as Red was about to eat his last doughnut, Lez fired an arrow at it. The doughnut shot out of his hand and was pinned to the wall behind them. Red and Purple looked at the doughnut skewered in the wall, then at each other, then down at Lez.

"Thank you for your appreciatation!" she growled coldly. She carefully put the bow away and stormed out, leaving the Tallest baffled and shocked.

After dinner, Lez and Jig sat in Jig's suite. He had invited her over, mainly because he didn't like being alone. They sat on the couch in front of the television, listening to the tributes and their numbers.

"... Skoodge, seven!" the announcer said.

"Skoodge is in this?" Lez asked herself. She shook her head. "They keep trying to get rid of that poor guy..."

"This is probably the only way he's guarenteed to be killed," Jig muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch. They continued to watch as Irkens flew by the screen, some they recognized and some they didn't.

"Ooh! Zim!" Lez said, leaning forward. A picture of Zim smirking was on the screen.

"Zim. Ten!" the announcer said. Jig grunted, impressed.

"Makes you wonder what he did," he said under his breath.

"Wow," was all Lez said. She got up and grabbed two sodas from the mini kitchen, then returned and handed one to Jig.

Jig's picture flashed on the screen. "Jig. Eleven!"

"What?" Lez exclaimed. She looked at Jig. "What did you do?" she asked, squeaking.

Restraining a chuckle, Jig replied, "I cussed at them. And at the dummies."

"There were dummies?" Lez asked. Jig nodded, confused.

"They didn't give you any?" Lez shook her head.

Then Lez's picture showed on the moniter. Jig took a sip of his soda, half expecting a six or such since she didn't get to use dummies.

"Lez. Thirteen!"

Jig sputtered, the soda flying out of his mouth. "Huh!" he shouted at the television. He looked at Lez, who was frozen on the spot. Thirteen? This couldn't be real. They had to be joking. Now she was a dead Irken walking. "What...?" Jig started.

"I... got mad," Lez sighed. She hugged herself. She was sure to die now. Before, she might've had a chance. Not anymore. "I'm pretty sure if I had waited any longer, I would've skewered Red instead the doughnut." She stood and went onto the balcony.

Jig followed her. Shocked though he was, he also wanted to make sure she was alright.

Lez propped her elbow on the railing, nibbling her nails and staring off into the night. The air was so much cleaner here, so fresh and light she could see the stars. She sang to herself, trying to reestablish her hope.

The tall Irken stood next to her, gazing at her in the starlight. Her eyes were so icy they almost glowed in the shadow of the night. He could see the hurt and worry in them. "Hey," he mumbled. He pulled Lez's hand away from her face. "Don't do that." It was a plead, not a command.

She looked at him and rearranged their hands so their finger interlinked. In just the past five days, they had become more than just allies- they were best friends. Lez sighed again and closed her eyes, swaying to the music in her head. "I just... I wanna go home, Jig," she whispered. "I want all this to be a dream I could wake up from."

"Even me?" Jig asked quietly.

Lez shook her head. "Everything but you," she responded. They leaned into each other.

"Hey! Visiting hours are up!" someone from inside snapped at the couple. Lez huffed lightly and reluctantly let go of Jig.

"Good night, Jig," she murmured sadly. Jig grabbed her hand again and kissed her fingers lightly.

"Good night," he replied as he let their hands slip away from each other. Lez grudgingly followed the guard to her room, leaving Jig alone and lovestruck.

This was going to be one interesting Games, he thought dimly as he curled up on the couch.

===THE FIRE GAMES===

**WHEEE! FLUFF! **

**There will be more action, don't worry. Lots of suspense and action and blood and gore and cussing and singing and loving and... well you get my point. It's a parody, what do you expect? Original ideas? **

**Zim demands for you to review. HE DEMANDS IT! DO NOT ANGER ZIIIIM! SO REVIEW!**


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